Joshua Parfitt
PRISON could be the punishment for the first electric scooter rider in Murcia to be charged under traffic laws introduced across Spain last December, 2019.
Guardia Civil caught the man in San Javier, near Cartagena, riding with a friend on an electric scooter without a numberplate, insurance or a driving licence.
The Spanish government’s traffic department (DGT) made these requirements mandatory under its Instrucción de la DGT 2019/S-149 TV-108 introduced on December 3 to regulate the boom in electric scooters.
The scooter caught on the N-332 highway had a 1,400W capacity, with a maximum speed of 25 km/h and with a seat 700m high.
Guardia Civil agents recognised the vehicle fell under the L1e-B category of ‘two-wheeled mopeds’, which the new laws require to have a numberplate, a vehicle registration certificate, an ITV report and car insurance. Drivers are also required to carry a driver’s licence permitting them to ride at least ‘AM’ category vehicles.
The driver has now been charged with a crime against road safety. In Spain’s Penal Code, article 384, sentences can include 3-6 months in prison, 12-24 months of a fine or 31-90 days of community service.
Under EU law – regulation 168/2013 – a scooter higher than 540 mm requires authorisation to use a member state’s roads, while drivers need a driving licence.
If a scooter’s power exceeds 4,000 W and/or has a top speed over 45 km/h it will be classed legally as a motorbike.
